Paper product



K. L. MOSES PAPER PRODUCT April 28, 1925.

Filed March 14 1924 \nvehTor. KivKe L Moses byZgM IJ 3'MtZ/5 W v Anya.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

KIRKE L. MOSES, OF BROOKLINE, MASSACHUSETTS. v

PAPER PRODUCT.

Applicationfiled March 14, 1924!. Serial No. 699,279

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. KIRKE L. Moses, a citizen of the United States, and resident of Brookline, county of Norfolk, State of Massachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Paper Products, of which the following description, in connection with the accompanying drawin is a specification, like characters on the 51' like parts. 1 1 j This invention has fofiits'object to provide a novel paper-like product' 'which has the appearance and texture of"cha1nois or similar soft leather and also to provide a novel process for producing such product. The novel product made'in accordance with the invention not only has the appearance and .feel of chamois or similar leather but it may be fully as tough, if not tougher than many soft leathers of the cheaper grades. It also has an absorbent quality similar to that of chamois.

The product may be subjected to varying surface treatments dependent on the uses to which it is to' be putand with proper surface treatments may be used for automobile tops, upholstery for automobiles, for book covers, bags, and so forth, for covering various articles, and in fact for a large variety of purposes for which chamois or leather is commonly used.

- The product embodying said invention may be made from any paper-like web or sheet which has incorporated therein a sufiicient amount of rubber. In carrying out the invention the sheet or web with the rubber soft incorporated therein is first thoroughly wet or saturated with avatar-carrying solution, that is, a solution which has water therein, so that substantially all terstices in the web or sheet are'filled with the solution or the water thereof. While the web or sheet is in this wet or saturated condition it is subjected to a rubbing action under pressure which alters the appearance and feel of the surface of the webor sheet so that it looks and feels like chamois or some other soft leather. This rubbing action also has the effect of softening the paper product so that it is very flexible and in this respect too is similar to chamois or other soft leather. After the paper product has been thus subjected to the rubbing action awing representing.

the pores and in-' under pressure it is allowed to dry and when dried it'has the desired texture. It may then be subjected to many of the usual sur-' .as asubstitute for such leather, cloth, and

so forth, in various arts.

- In order to give an understanding of the invention I have illustrated in the drawings more or less diagrammatically some of the steps of the process embodying the invention.

Fig. lis a diagrammatic View showing one way of saturating the web or sheet with the water-containing solution.

As stated above the foundation of my improved artificial leather product is a paperlike product which has a rubber constituent incorporated therein, an illustration of such a paper-like product being found in my Patent N 0. 1,489,330, dated April 8th, 1924. This patent. however, is referred to merely as illustrative of such apaper-like product and I wish it clearly understood that it is within my invention to use any other paperlike product having a rubber constituent incorporated therein.

The paper-like product described in said patent is one which is made on a paper-making machine-with relatively high porosity and which is composed of loosely-matted relatively-long fibres and which after being thus made is impregnated with rubber by the use of a rubber-containing latex so that the rubber becomes incorporated in the paper throughout the mass thereof and practically covers all the fibres thereof thus bind-' ing them together.

.n manufacturing my improved artificial leather from a paper-like product of the above nature, that is, a paper product having rubber incorporated therein whether made in accordance with said patent or in any other way, I first thoroughly saturate the paper-like product in a solution contaming water, this preferably being done in such a way that as much as possible of the air will be driven out from any interstices in the paper and such interstices will be filled with the water-containing solution, or the water thereof, the object being to reduce the prodnot to a wet state. When in this state the product is very soft and limp although still retaining its tough tear-resisting characteristics. Vhile the paper product is in this wet state it is subjected to a rubbing action under pressure. One convenient way of securing this end is to pass the web or sheet of wet paper between two presser rolls which subject it to the desired pressure and provide for having the rolls rotating at slightly different surface speeds so that a rubbing action will be produced on the paper. This results in giving the paper surfaces both the appearance and feel of chamois or other soft leather and it also has the effect of rendering the sheet or web permanently limp or flexible even after it has dried. Still another effect which results from this rubbing action under pressure is that the absorbent qualities of the web are increased so that when it is dry it will readily take up water. When thus wet it still retains its tear-resisting qualities however.

The drawings illustrated diagrammatically an apparatus by which the improved process may be carried out. In the drawings 1 indicates a web of paper-like product having a rubber constituent incorporated therein and 2 indicates a receptacle containing a bath 3 of. water or some solution containing water into which the web 1 is immersed. The drawings show squeeze rolls 4: submerged in the bath and between which the web passes. the purpose of these being to squeeze out from the web as much air as posslble soas to allow the solution to enter the pores or interstices therein before the web is withdrawn from the bath. In this way the web becomes pretty well saturated with the liquid. I I

5 indicates guide or direction rolls over which the web passes during the saturating operation. After the web has been withdrawn from the bath it is passed between presser rolls 6 and 7 which subject it to considerable pressure. These presser rolls are preferably so mounted and operated that they are rotated at different surface speeds and by reason of this fact the web will be subjected not only to the pressure resulting from the squeezing action of the rolls but will also be subjected to a rubbing action due to the differential speed between the rolls. After the paper-like product has been carried through the presser rolls 6. 7 it is dried in any approved way after which it is ready for use either in its then state or after some .usual surface treatment.

As stated above the rubberized paper 1 before it is subje ted to the wetting and rubbing action may be rather stiff. and somewhat infiexible, and. if made in accordance with my above-mentioned patent may have somewhat the characteristics of parchment. After the rubber-containing paper has been subjected to the wetting and rubbing action the surface thereof has a velvety, feel somewhat like chamois skin and the product is soft and flexible. 'It also has absorbent qualities similar to Chamois. This treat ment, however, in no way reduces the toughness or tearing resistance of the product but rather tends to increase them. The resulting product. too, is one which can be used for almost all purposes for which soft and thin leather is used and makes an excellent substitute therefor, as well as a substitute for fabric and other sheet material in many instances.

So far as the present invention is concerned the time interval elapsing between the wetting of the web or sheet and the rubbing action is inconsequential, it only being necessary that the rubbing action should take place while the web is still wet. Under some conditions it may be advisable to pass the web directly from the bath to the rolls or other device which produce the rubbing action and under other conditions it may be desirable to roll up the web or sheet while in the wet state and allow it tq temper somewhat before subjecting it to the rubbing action. This is immaterial so long as the rubbing occurs while the web is still wet.

I desire to state again that while merely for illustrative purposes I have referred to the rubber-containing paper described in my Patent No. 1,489,330 yet so far as the present invention is concerned any suitable paper product having rubber incorporated therein may be employed without regard to the process by which it is made.

I claim.

1. The process of producing a paper product which consists in wetting with a water-carrying solution a web or sheet of paper-like material having rubber incorporated therein, and subjecting the web or sheet while wet to a rubbing action.

2. The process of producing a paper product which consists in wetting with a water-carrying solution a web or sheet of paper-like material having rubber incorporated therein. and subjecting the web or sheet while wet to a pressmg and rubbing action simultaneously.

3. The process of producing a paper product which consists in wetting with a water-carrying solution a web or sheet of paper-like material having rubber incorporated therein. and subjecting the web or sheet while wet to the rubbing tction of presser rolls.

4. The process of producing a paper 5. A paper product formed of a web-of paper material having rubber incorporated therein, the surface of the material having: been roughened by .a rubbing action to pro 5 duce a leather-like appearance.

6. A paper product formedof a Web of paper material having rubber incorporated therein, the surface of the material having been roughened by a rubbing action to produce a leather-like appearance and an in- 10 creased pliancy.

In testimony whereof, I name to this specification.

KIRKE L. MOSES.

have signed my 

